surge

In London last week, I met a Nigerian man who succinctly expressed the reaction of much of the world to America these days. “Your country has gone crazy,” he said, with a mixture of outrage and amusement. “I’m from Africa. I know crazy, but I didn’t ever think I would see this in America!”

A recent survey on the public’s view of national institutions elicited headlines that suggested a tale of backwardness and ignorance. One example: “Majority of Republicans Think Higher Education is Bad for America.”

While we have been focused on the results of special elections, the ups and downs of the Russia investigation, and President Trump’s latest tweets, under the radar, a broad and consequential shift in American foreign policy appears to be underway. Put simply, the United States is stumbling its way into another decade of war in the greater Middle East. And this next decade of conflict might prove to be even more destabilizing than the last one.

For human rights organization Amnesty International, Trump's proposed border wall - which even some members of the Border Patrol fail to see as an effective barrier - will only enrich criminal organizations involved in extorting money from immigrants on the Mexican side.